Champs ChickenFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Champs Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $9K – $349K. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $9K – $349K
- 0th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 401
- 87th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $9K – $349K including a $0 franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 70/100.
- System contracting at -7.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Champs Chicken Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Shawn Burcham
- CEO experience
- 26 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 120 Commerce Drive, Holts Summit, Missouri 65043
- Auditor
- Eide Bailly LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $203K
- vs $191K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Champs Chicken franchisees operate quick-service chicken restaurants, handling daily food preparation, customer service, inventory management, and staff supervision. The business model focuses on chicken-based menu items with varying formats from small kiosks to full-service locations depending on the investment tier.
- CEO
- Shawn Burcham
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 36
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $3K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $6K | $319K |
| Total initial investment | $9K | $349K |
Source: Champs Chicken 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $9K – $349K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- None
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 4.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 4.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Champs Chicken Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 401
- Opened
- 28
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 43
- Turnover rate
- 10.7%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -3.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -7.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 17
- Transfer rate
- 4.2%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 90.3%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 10.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 28 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Champs Chicken presents HIGH RISK due to system contraction, multi-state regulatory violations, undisclosed financials, and evidence of franchisor-franchisee disputes over payments.
Litigation (Item 3)
Three matters disclosed: (1) Missouri - TravelCenters of the Ozarks, Inc. and Wilmoth Enterprises Inc. v. Champs Chicken Franchising, LLC (Case No. 22AC-CC01009) for breach of contract regarding VIR Program rebate payments, seeking $14,971.91 and $9,810.14 respectively, pending in preliminary stage; (2) Illinois - Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Illinois Attorney General (File No. 16AVC-F006, August 8, 2016) regarding unlawful sale of two franchises while registration was suspended, resolved with $2,000 penalty and rescission offers (both declined); (3) Washington - Consent Order with Washington Department of Financial Institutions (S-16-2008-17-CO01, January 18, 2017) regarding unlawful sale of franchises without current permit or disclosure documents, resolved with $3,000 investigation cost payment.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Eide Bailly LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 70 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNegative unit growth (-3.6% YoY) indicates system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDMultiple regulatory violations across three states (Missouri, Illinois, Washington) suggesting compliance issues and operational negligence
- 03MINORZero franchise fee with $0–$349K investment range is unusually broad, indicating unclear or inconsistent franchise model
- 04MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (missing Item 19) prevents validation of profitability claims
- 05HIGHActive litigation regarding rebates suggests franchisor-franchisee financial disputes and broken promises
- 06MINORSuspended registration in Illinois and permit violations in Washington indicate franchisor failed basic legal obligations
- 07MINORDeclining unit count combined with non-disclosure makes it impossible to assess franchisee success rates
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Territory type | Radius |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Three matters disclosed: (1) Missouri - TravelCenters of the Ozarks, Inc. and Wilmoth Enterprises Inc. v. Champs Chicken Franchising, LLC (Case No. 22AC-CC01009) for breach of contract regarding VIR Program rebate payments, seeking $14,971.91 and $9,810.14 respectively, pending in preliminary stage; (2) Illinois - Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Illinois Attorney General (File No. 16AVC-F006, August 8, 2016) regarding unlawful sale of two franchises while registration was suspended, resolved with $2,000 penalty and rescission offers (both declined); (3) Washington - Consent Order with Washington Department of Financial Institutions (S-16-2008-17-CO01, January 18, 2017) regarding unlawful sale of franchises without current permit or disclosure documents, resolved with $3,000 investigation cost payment.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 11 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- MicroSale
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MicroSale
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
54 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Champs Chicken · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Champs Chicken franchise?
The total investment to open a Champs Chicken franchise ranges from $9K – $349K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Champs Chicken franchise owners earn?
Champs Chicken does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Champs Chicken's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Champs Chicken (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Champs Chicken franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Champs Chicken has 401 total units in the United States, including 400 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 28 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Champs Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Champs Chicken as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 70 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.